p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"strongspan lang="EN-GB"Winnifred POV /span/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"The sidewalk outside the economics building was busier than usual, excited chatter flowing freely. I already knew why there was such a big crowd: Connor Cobalt was giving a lecture about entrepreneurship, and it been talked about all over campus. I wasn't attending–for obvious reasons./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"But my favourite library was the one in the economics building so I was going to need to find a way in. Bodies pressed together, a small mosh pit gradually forming. I didn't do well with crowds–in fact, I did horribly. The only time I could stomach them was when I had had something to drink or one of my friends were with me, and even then, I had about 15 minutes until I needed to go to the bathroom for a breather./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"This was the main entrance, but all the buildings had more than one, so I'd walk around until I spotted another. It got quieter quickly and the perfect Columbia University gardens were a little wilder around the back. I buried my hands into my pockets as a cold breeze shifted between the buildings. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"It was that dreadful weather where it was cold in the morning and hot in the afternoon, the type of weather that made you shiver when you stayed still and made you sweat when you were walking across campus. My sweater was tied around my shoulders as I had just come back from lunch, and my button-down, plaid mini skirt and stockings weren't doing much to protect my body heat. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"I found a door around the back, and it opened into a quiet corridor. I was on floor one and the library was on floor 3 so I'd just need to find the stairs or an elevator–too easy–and without anyone standing in my way./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"My thoughts twisted round and round as I hurried along. Mother was hosting a luncheon on Sunday I was expected to attend, and I would need my hair trimmed, plus I had to call Will back and–/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"Someone huge jumped out in front of me, yelling "BOO!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"The scream that lurched from me was almost as fast as my fist flying through the air. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"emspan lang="EN-GB"CRACK/span/emspan lang="EN-GB"!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"Pain–oh, god –the pain–/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"I stumbled back as did my attacker. "Oh, Jesus, oh, fuck–!" His voice was deep./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"My back hit the wall, fist to my chest. Other people were nearing us, but I could do nothing but stare at him, chest rising and falling. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"He lifted his head, and I met the bluest pair of eyes I had ever seen. Framed with thick dark lashes, glowing in pain and confusion. Then recognition sparked in them, and he lowered his hand–/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""Your nose." My voice wasn't louder than a whisper./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"The bone jutted at an odd angle and blood was dripping down onto his suit./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""Your hand," he replied./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"I looked down. My knuckles were swollen, red. When I tried to stretch it out, blistering pain shot up to my shoulder. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""Eliot! Eliot!" Voices came tumbling into our moment of shock and a hand lightly shoved at my shoulder./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""Don't touch her, man," Eliot's voice came out hard./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"I looked up. A man dressed in black with an earpiece was blocking my view of Eliot, staring down, eyes blazing. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""You okay, dude?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""Jeez, she got you didn't she–" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""Isn't that Winnif–?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"emspan lang="EN-GB"Cobalts/span/emspan lang="EN-GB". Heaps of them. As well as some Hales and Meadows. Their bodyguards swarmed around them like bees dressed in black./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"Oh, this was not good./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"The Rochesters and Cobalts were–without being dramatic–enemies. Our parents were currently in a lawsuit because my oldest brother had decided it would be fun to make their lives a living hell and SPY on them to share their secrets to the world. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"And I had just punched one./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"My mother thought it was unbecoming to swear but all I was thinking in this moment was: emFuck, fuck, fuck, fuck/em. And honestly, I was quite entitled to such a reaction./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"A tattooed man was assessing Eliot's nose, brows drawn down low. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"Part of me was screaming at myself to run but my feet were rooted to the spot. I had to explain, to ask them not to sue me. Oh, God, my parents were going to kill me for risking their win in this case. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""Check her hand," Eliot said. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"The tattooed man glanced over to me, eyes landing on my swollen fist that I was holding to my chest. "I'm Farrow, I'm a doctor. Do you mind if I check your hand?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"I shook my head, holding it tighter. "It's fine."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"I glanced at the way I came. I needed to get out of here–/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""Is there anyone we can call for you?" Dr Farrow asked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"I shook my head again and glanced over to Eliot. Men I recognized as his brothers were assessing his nose, and his sister was fussing over him with a napkin. His blue eyes found mine./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""I'm sorry," I breathed. "Please don't sue me."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB""Like you're suing us?" Sneered one of his brothers./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"To my complete surprise, Eliot gave me a crooked grin. It almost shocked me as much as when he jumped out. "Nah, I scared you. I thought you were my father."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"I cringed. He thought I was his dad? Something every girl wants to hear from a pretty boy./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"All his family's angry stares were becoming too much so I just said, "Again, I'm, uh, sorry," then turned and hurried out of the hallway. Voices grew in my absence, but I was already outside before I could decipher what I had heard. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"I went to the ER by myself. The doctor on call told me I was incredibly lucky and that I didn't get a boxer's fracture. However, the bones were badly bruised, and it would take a few weeks for me to have full control over my hand again. It was my dominant hand so that meant it would be a few weeks until I could paint again./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"Sitting alone on the hospital bed made me think about Eliot and his family swarming around him. All of them had instantly been there for him, worried and caring, protective, and watchful. I highly doubted Eliot went to the ER by himself–in fact, I doubted he did much by himself. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"When I was younger, I didn't understand that my family wasn't like others. My mother didn't brush my hair or hold my hand, my father didn't let me sit on his lap or read me bedtime stories. We never said emI loved you/em or emI'm worried about you/em or emare you okay? /emI wondered to myself, emwhat would it be like? To have someone here with me right now? /em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"They discharged me around midnight and I walked back to my dorm alone. My roommate sent my bandaged hand a weird look but didn't ask./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"Ah, well. Maybe I was one of those people better suited off for being alone. My family was evil, and that evilness rested in my blood like a genetic disease. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"If I was alone, I couldn't hurt anyone. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB"And no one could hurt me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-indent: 11.35pt; line-height: 28px; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span lang="EN-GB" /span/p